How can I wash my boat before the Marina turns on the water?-gctid364060

[Guest]

Is there a way to pump water up 12 feet from the lake to a pressure washer requiring at least 40 psi.

We would like to do some work on the boat before the official launch date and the marina will not have water or power available until the middle of April.

Thanks for reading this and any ideas would be appreciated.

[cwiert]

Same issue here. My neighbor at the dock threw a pump into the river to get water. Worked pretty good. I didn't go that route because the river can be pretty dirty and I don't want to wash my boat with dirty river water or run that water through my pressure washer.

You'll laugh at what I did. I filled up a big gatorade type container...the kind football players throw on their coaches when they win the big game... with warm water and soap. Then I filled up a couple hand pump sprayers...the stuff you'd use to spray insecticide...with fresh water. I'd wash the boat with the soapy water and rinse with the sprayers. I know, it's silly and took a long time to rinse, but thats what I did. They don't turn the water on at my marina until mid April, and I'd like to be far into my buffing and waxing process by then.

[Guest]

A submersible utility pump will do it. Your pressure washer doesn't need much flow.

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[Guest]

Sure, there's a way to get water from the river and boost it up to 40 psi. It's gonna be very expensive but it's done all the time in the water distribution industry.

Just Google 'submersible pumps'. Look for one that can provide about 60 psi discharge head. Calculate the height difference in feet between the depth of the pump suction and the elevation of your pressure washer intake nozzle.

Multiply that number by .4331 and deduct it from the nameplate discharge pressure of the pump. That will give you the actual psi that your pressure washer will see from the pump.

Now, does your pressure washer also have a minimum flow in Gallons Per Minute that it also needs to see? If so, make sure the pump you select can provide that flow at the discharge pressure you require.

There's a host of other caveats that go along with pumping raw water from surface sources, but this ought to get you started...

[Guest]

I will show my husband and see what we can do.

[jmcannonball]

I like both ideas - put the submersible pump in the Gatorade container

[Guest]

I might add - if you eliminate the pressure washer and its 40 psi requirement from the equation, your problem becomes a lot easier to solve. If that were the case, almost any submersible pump that can get water up that 12 feet at some kind of decent flow rate will do the job. Low discharge head pumps are much less expensive than high discharge head pumps.

Eliminating the pressure washer also eliminates the problem of pressure control. With either a high or low discharge head pump, if the pump is running and the pressure washer is not, the pump will achieve what is termed 'shutoff head' quickly. This a state where the impeller keeps turning but no water is moved - the pump quickly heats up and the motor and other internals can be damaged or destroyed in short order. This is also sometimes referred to as 'deadhead pumping'.

Without the pressure washer in the line, the discharge can simply be allowed to flow through the discharge hose, hence, no shutoff head.

If it were me, that's the way I'd go. Or wait until the water is back on.

[Guest]

I am stored where I can't even get water supplied to the boat so I use a 5 gal bucket and a sponge wipe down with a towel IF the boat is really dirty. Normally I will just buff the boat with the water spots and streaks on the lower hull.. My buddy uses 2 -55 gallon drums on his truck and a pressure washer then buffes and waxes. I'm usually sitting in a chair drinking a beer while he is still presure washing his boat..........just another option to think about........

[Guest]

I bought a 15 gallon sprayer with electric pump for 69 dollars at tractor supply store...not high pressure but will get it sprayed down...mount to wagon or dolly and battery clip wire leads and get to washing...came with long hose and adjustable nozzle....I use for spraying fence line at house.

[boatworkfl]

Low pressure pump with enough volume will feed a high pressure washer that needs less volume and will produse high pressure. Could have been stated better, but that is the principal.

[Guest]

just take it thru a car wash ..

[Guest]

I've been using what Mike suggests for the last 4 years. You can get those small submersibles at harbor freight for about $50. I use my pressure washer up on the boat, over 10' up from where the pump is and 50' away with no issues.

[boatworkfl]

A 55 gal plastic drum on the bed of a truck and a pump will work to supply water.

[Guest]

The car wash won't work because we don't have a trailer. The submersible pump is the best option at this point.